Believe
by Daniel Wesley Rydell
Summary: "Just take my hand."


"You don't have to do this."

Celes Chere refused to look over her shoulder. She'd only seen the man standing behind her and his ghastly ship once, but, she'd swore never again. He'd spouted words that (at the time) had seemed far too appropriate, and he'd led her down a road that had eventually seen her in shackles in a damp and dank cellar prison in South Figaro. Those words of hope that he had spewed had been slowly but surely ripped from her after the first fifteen lashings. When Locke Cole had showed up, she'd sworn she'd never listen to this man's lies again.

"Go away."

She heard his feeting shuffling quietly behind her. After a few moments, he spoke once again.

"Celes, I'm sorry."

Unbidden, a tear slid down her face, but she forced herself not to acknowledge him. Hunching her shoulders in, she forced the cold from the mountain breeze to not affect her, but instead allowed it to fuel her sorrow and rage.

"Celes, you don't have to do this. I can help you-"

She whipped around, stalking towards the tweed wearing time traveler. "Like you helped me a year ago? You promised you'd help, that you'd come when I called. Where were you, Doctor, when I was tortured? Where were your flowerful words, your promises of terrifying beautiful alternatives? Where were you when I was starved for weeks? Where was your bluer-on-the-outside booth? _Where were you, Doctor? __**Where were you when I called?!**_"

He looked down at the ground, suitably ashamed. Whatever reasons he appeared to have been torn from his mouth, seared from existence by the fiery frost of her quickly uttered accusations? After a few moments of silence, he pulled his gaze from the ground to her furious one.

"Do you still have it?"

Her gaze narrowed. "I am unsure of what you speak."

His lips curved up a little bit. "Oh, you didn't lose it, did you? I liked that one!"

She glowered. "Why do you ask?"

The Doctor shrugged, tentatively taking a few meandering steps towards Celes. "Unless you're using that, can I snag it back from you?"

Her jaw dropped, "Of all the…" She jammed her hand into a pocket, grasping hold of the object the Doctor requested. A moment later, a long strand of dark purple fabric was tossed in his face. "The world has been destroyed, and all you care of is a damn bowtie. Take it; it should keep your body warm, but I suppose it will not begin to touch your frozen heart," she stated, turning back and walking towards the cliff.

He sighed quietly, but began to attach the crimson piece of fabric to his collar. After it was attached, he sighed again, almost seeming as if a weight was off her shoulders. Then, he moved to stand next to Celes, looking out over the purple-hazed horizon.

"So, what's the plan?"

She didn't look at him. "What does it look to you, that I plan to stand here for eternity? I'll leap. There is nothing left in the world, much less for a failure such as me."

The Doctor looked to the former Imperial officer, a sad smile on his face. "There's so many people out there, looking for hope, looking for a source of light. You can give them that! If you're convinced that you've done wrong to this world, then do something to change it! You have that power!"

For a moment, uncertainty passed through her eyes, before again clouding with anger. "I refuse. I tried to save the world once. You told me I was going to save the world with just one word, and look around us. I spoke one word and as a result, I allowed Kefka to take complete control of the world. Do you understand, Doctor? Do you understand what my one word did?"

He kept his eyes on her, the look in them completely unreadable.

"You told me to say one word, and one word was all it took to create the world you stand. A singular word was all it took to destroy my world. One word ruined everything for everyone. You can't blame Kefka for my sins. And while I made my choices, you told me it would get better."

She swept her arm across the horizon.

"Tell me, Doctor, in what definition of better do you place this world?"

Said Time Lord was tying his bowtie back around his collar. However, he looked over at her after he was sure he would be allowed to speak. "Do you know why I gave you my bowtie?" he asked quietly.

"I have no idea. A shining glimmer of hope destined to take it all away from me?"

The man across from her turned back towards the horizon, taking one measured step closer to the cliff edge. His silence gave Celes a moment to reflect. Why had the man given her his precious bowtie, of which he seemed so attached? Despite her anger, she didn't fully believe him completely capable of the irrepressible external loathing of others that she so accused him of. No, there must have been a deeper reason; something that she couldn't quite see yet.

Perhaps there was hope for her yet, she quietly mused as she kept her eyes on him.

"Because, bowties are cool."

He grinned over his shoulder at her. An unamused look met his, and he visibly shrank away from her, before allowing his shoulders to drop down wearily. The facade was gone, she realized with a start. This was the man, a fearful storm that she suspected hid behind joviality, which kept her eyes locked onto his.

"There's too many bad men in this universe; in the past, in the present, and there _definitely _is in the future. Bad men take everything good and try to turn it into this amalgamation of the worst things in this world. Bad men helped raise you, I suspect. Bad men turned you into this self-loathing, self-despising, self depreciating being, and I cannot let that pass. Tell me, Celestia, do you regret your choices? Would you regret saying that one word if I told you that the future would have only been delayed?"

Celes stopped, unable to comprehend what the strangely dressed man was saying. Finally, she nodded.

"I only regret that it turned into what it did. What I said needed to be said," she stated with finality.

His eyes narrowed on hers.

"Then, make him pay. I regret what has happened to your world, but I promise you he will regret it more. Go out into this world, be the shiniest example of not keeping quiet, not staying down. Don't let what he has done to this world and to you pass. Make a stand."

Her eyes widened. "Doctor, I…" she trailed off, unable to finish.

He held her gaze for a moment in silence, then straightened his bowtie. "This bowtie has seen many evils, and it has seen many escape unscathed. But, it's seen just as many punished for their crimes. I gave you this bowtie because I trusted you to do what it took when the time came, no matter the consequences."

He stepped towards her, reaching out a hand to her. "You've got such potential, Celes. Such a bright and amazing future. Let me take you to the mainland. Just take my hand."

She closed her eyes, steeling her resolve. She didn't want to trust him, but… he reminded her of her grandfather. He was filled with such faith and belief in a world that _could_ exist. And he made her want to believe. She wanted to believe that it could still get better.

So, she nodded, with all the resolve of an iron-clad general, and grabbed his hand.

"Okay."

* * *

_A project that has been on my list for quite some time, fill a gap that has been (as of the beginning of writing this, several months ago) unfilled. Shout-out to my friend Tahn-yuh for assisting me and helping me get to the end. Let me know what you think._

_Until next time..._


End file.
